Student Shoots Advisor At St. Louis School; Turns Gun On Himself

ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) – A student reportedly shot himself after shooting a financial advisor at the Stevens Institute of Business and Arts in downtown St. Louis, MO Tuesday afternoon.

Authorities said the student walked in the building, took the elevator to the 4th floor, then shot Financial Aid Director Greg Elsenrath in the chest with a aKel-Tec PF9, 9 mm, seven shot semi-automatic handgun. The shooting happened in the financial advisor’s office.

The student then turned the gun on himself. He was found between the third and fourth floor in a stairwell of the five story building.

Police say that this was not a random shooting. Greg Elsenrath was targeted. According to the school’s website Elsenrath has worked in the field of financial aid for more than 15 years.

St. Louis City Police Chief Sam Dotson said, “What we found was, a white male, late 40s had been the victim of gunshot wound. He was taken to the hospital. We began a floor by floor search looking for the gunman. In a stairwell between the 3rd and 4th floor we found what we believed to be the shooter suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. We recovered the weapon and took the suspect into custody. He was transported to the hospital. Both the victim are at the hospital in surgery right now.”

The gunman and Elsenrath are the only people who were shot. The victim and the gunman were both rushed to St. Louis University Hospital. Both are expected to survive their injuries.

The gunman was well known by the faculty. He is in his mid 30s and was a long time part-time student at the school.

Students and faculty locked themselves into offices in the building after the shooter was discovered in the stairwell. It was a tense situation after the shooter was discovered and before authorities arrived on the scene. Students and faculty left the building after they were dismissed by police. Witnesses described the ordeal as passing quickly and in an orderly manner.

Authorities have cleared the building floor by floor. Students and faculty have been evacuated from the building. The scene looks calm and police appear to be in evidence gathering mode.

Faculty and staff were taken to a safe location and are being debriefed by police.